


best friends (lovers on the side)

by screwthatloveshit



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, basically a childhood au no one wanted but needs anyway, ricky is whipped. that's it that's the plot., yes the title is from joshua's song because it fits them so well okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 12:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22256053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screwthatloveshit/pseuds/screwthatloveshit
Summary: She’s wearing his NYU hoodie so the hoodie looks like its eating her up because how tiny she is and all Ricky wants to do is scoop her up in his arms and never let go. God, he’s in love with her and he probably has been since the first day they met because she captivates him everyday ever since that day on the kindergarten and oh god he loves her so much his heart wants to burst.or a childhood au of two dumb kids in love and their relationship through the years.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 17
Kudos: 253





	best friends (lovers on the side)

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time writing for the hsmtmts fandom but i really loved writing it and i apologize if this is similar to my hallie fic because it was inspired by that and i love the trope so much i would write it for every pairing i ship okay!! 
> 
> anyway, enjoy and tell me what you think of it afterwards<33

He sees her playing on the swings on the first day of kindergarten.

Her legs are dangling high in the air, and her hair is a mess but she has the biggest smile on her face, and even though he’s too young to understand the word, but he thinks he’s captivated by her.

(He hears his dad use that word to describe his mom once, and he thinks it’s the most perfect word to describe this girl he saw during lunch)

He’s disappointed when he finds out they’re not in the same class, but he’s also kind of glad because he thinks if they are in the same class, he won’t be able to concentrate on whatever Miss Julie tells him to do and he’ll probably spend the whole day thinking about that smile he sees in the yard.

.

He doesn’t learn her name until the second week of school.

He’s in the same reading group as her, and he thanks his parents for naming him _Richard_ because Miss Julie tells them to sit in alphabetical order and she ends up sitting next to him, offering him a shy smile. (It’s not the same smile he saw on their first day but he likes it nevertheless)

“Hi,” she says, offering him a toothy smile. “I’m Nina.”

“Richard,” he mumbles. “Richard Bowen.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Richard.”

“Me too,” he finally looks up at her, giving her his own toothy grin.

(By the end of the first reading session, he learns that she’s an only child and that she loves reading _Anne of the Green Gables_ which is the book Miss Julie is currently reading to them and she learns that he has trouble pronouncing his vowels so when he starts calling her Nini instead of Nina she tells him she likes being called Nini better with a grin)

.

Kindergarten is boring for him because it’s just coming to school to do stuff he could do at home but he looks forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays the most because it’s when they have those reading sessions and he likes that Nini will sit cross-legged next to him and whispers him spoilers to the book Miss Julie is reading about for 2 hours straight.

(He pretends he hates being spoiled, and she giggles when he tells her he doesn’t like spoilers)

“I only spoil things to my friends, silly,” Nini tells him, and he realizes she just called him _friend_ which made him feel really warm inside, so the next time Nini tells him that the character Gilbert is going to pull on the main character’s hair, he doesn’t complain and instead pulls on Nini’s own ponytail.

(Her laugh becomes his favorite thing about her that day, and he suddenly can’t wait for Thursday to come because he wants to hear it again)

.

They’re finally put in the same class on the first grade. He finds out about this because the minute he steps into his new classroom he finds her in the middle of the class, her face lighting up the second she sees him as well.

(He sits down next to her of course)

(She asks him later on the day if she could call him Ricky instead of Richard, because _let’s be honest, Ricky, Richard sounds like someone born in the 80s._ Ricky, of course, says yes)

.

Ricky loves the first grade because he learns a lot more than he did during kindergarten.

He learns how to do simple additions and substractions, and he learns how to play the piano, and he learns that Nini loves playing the piano just as much she loves singing (Another thing he learns about Nini in the first semester, and he’s just so in awe of his friend because she’s so talented and he doesn’t know why she chooses him to be her friend in the first place).

He tells her this during Math, and she just looks at him in amusement.

“Ricky?”

“Yeah, Nini Panini?” _Another_ thing he learns in the first grade. Nini likes the nicknames he give her when he’s bored in class and doesn’t have anything better to do except annoy his friend.

“You’re not my friend,” she says in a serious tone, and his heart probably would drop if she didn’t correct herself right away, “You’re my _best_ friend.”

(Their teacher tells them to be quiet, so Nini covers her mouth to silence her giggles and Ricky just kicks her foot under the desk.)

.

Being best friends with Nini means play dates, and he wonders why they don’t do this sooner because hanging out with Nini after school is even better than hanging out with her during school. (Or so he decides)

Sometimes playdates with Nini means watching movies for 4 hours straight at his house with a tube of ice cream shared between them and cozy blankets underneath them to keep them warm. (Nini makes him watch the Barbie series every Friday just because she can)

Sometimes it just means going to Nini’s house to listen to her play the piano. He’ll sit down beside her on the chair and watch as Nini practice the notes she has in front of her. On their lazy days, they’ll both just hang out on Nini’s yard and lay down together on the grass watching the clouds move and wait for the grasses to grow. Ricky doesn’t really care, he just likes Nini’s company too much.

(Once, just once, Nini brought one of her Barbies to Ricky’s house so they could play there but Ricky accidentally microwaved it so they stick to the Barbie movies for now)

.

Nini’s moms get 4 free tickets to 27 Dresses on its opening night and Nini picks Ricky up after dinner to see it with them.

(Ricky’s not a fan of romantic comedies because _they’re cliché, Nini!_ but hearing Nini laugh beside him makes him happy so he thinks maybe he’s into clichés after all)

Nini’s favorite part is the wedding, she tells him excitedly that night on the phone. (Her moms say it’s too late for Ricky to come over and play but it’s the weekend so they let Nini call Ricky before she goes to bed.) “I love how simple it was,” Ricky just hums in response. “But it’s still so beautiful, Ricky, I wish my wedding could be like that when I’m older.”

“And who’s going to marry you when you’re older, Nini Panini?” Ricky teases from his bed.

“I don’t know.” (Ricky knows somehow she’s frowning when she says this)

“Ricky, promise me one thing,” she whispers into the phone, and he knows she’s in the middle of dozing off.

“What is it, Nini Panini?”

“I don’t care who I marry when I’m older,” she hums. “Just promise me you’ll still be my best friend when that happens, okay?”

“Of course, Nini Panini,” he whispers back but there’s no response from her side of the line so she must’ve dozed off before he could answer.

(He buys her a strawberry Ring Pop and him a raspberry one on Monday, and Nini makes them wear it for the rest of the day. Their fingers are both sticky by the end of the day but he doesn’t mind, not when Nini gives him the same type of smile for the rest of the day.)

.

Nini’s parents throw her a birthday party in second grade, and he’s the first one she tells, because of course. It’s the only thing she could talk about for weeks, and he calls her a dork for choosing a princess themed party but she just sticks her tongue out at him and kicks his foot under the table.

He doesn’t tell her that that he has saved up 6 weeks of allowance so he could buy her a smal locket that he had saw in the city once – and with the help of his mom, he goes and buys it, and buys the fanciest box he could find in the bookstore.

Suddenly he knows why she had chosen a princess themed party, because she shows up in the most Nini entrance ever, twirling her big dress with her curls fluttering in the air, her smile as warm as usual. She looks like the kind of princess he used to read for bed time stories back when he was four.

(He tells her that, and she lets him have the biggest cut of the cake.)

He doesn’t give his gift later on with the rest of their friends, because in a selfish way he doesn’t want to share what he had given her with the rest of the group so he pulls her to the side before he goes home to give it to her.

She loves it, judging by the gasp when she opens the box and she’s beaming at him when she wraps her arms around his neck, thanking him silently. And he’s pretty sure he has the biggest smile on his face as well when she asks if he’d clasp the locket from behind.

(She doesn’t want to share what picture did she put inside it, but she kicks his foot again under the table and whispers _It’s a picture of my best friend and_ I and he hopes he had kicked her hard enough to let her know she really is the best.)

.

Ricky hates the third grade because his parents start fighting at nights when they think he’s asleep already.

(He couldn’t of course, because they were supposed to tuck him into bed and tell him that they both love him very much before going to sleep, but they waste their time bickering about some bills his mom had forgotten to pay, or a broken tool his dad had forgotten to fix until they’re both tired of arguing, and he hates it, and he hates the way they pretend like nothing happened in the morning.)

He doesn’t tell Nini, because he doesn’t think it’s worth mentioning that his dad goes to work too early to avoid talking with his mom and that his mom comes home way too late for him to kiss her goodnight, but he’s tired of it already and he wishes his parents could make up and they’d be one happy family again.

(Spoiler alert: It doesn’t happen.)

.

His house is too quiet in the evening now, because his mom comes home so late she doesn’t eat dinner and his dad goes back to work straight after picking Ricky up from school, so Ricky starts hanging out more at Nini’s it’s practically his second home by now.

(It’s not because he likes how both her moms greet him like he’s part of the family just like how he misses when his parents use to do that to him when he’s smaller, and he pushes the feeling of jealousy away watching Nini hugs both of her parents when she comes home from school that day.)

.

The school is hosting a play on Snow White and Ricky encourages Nini to sign up for Snow White. Nini refuses because she doesn’t think she’s good enough to play Snow White.

It only takes 0.01 second for Ricky’s head to snap up at Nini. “That’s not true, Neens,” he argues. “I’ve listened to you sing and act so many times and _you’re so good_ it’s unbelievable.”

“You’re my best friend, you’re _obliged_ to say that,” Nini giggles, her eyes darting to the sky instead of staring back at Ricky.

“Nini,” he grabs her hands. “As your best friend, I’m here to tell you the truth and well the truth is you’re amazing and one in a million talented and no one here in Salt Lake is as talented as you. Next to your mom who could cook the best ensaymadas in the world, of course,” His stomach flutters at the sound of her laugh, and motivates him to keep going with whatever the hell he’s speaking about. “And that’s why, Nini Salazar-Roberts, you should really sign up for Snow White.”

Nini just smiles at him and wordlessly offers him a half of her sandwich (which he takes because Nini’s mom honestly is such a good cookhe would eat anything she cooks for him) but at lunch she’ll write her name on the sign up sheet in front of the class with Ricky clapping excitedly behind her.

(And if she gets the role and he’s cheering her on the loudest in the front row and gives her her favorite type of flowers after, it’s because he loves Nini so much because she’s his best friend and best friends support each other. Right?)

.

Nini goes to Phillipines for summer break to spend time with her lola before they go up to the 6th grade. It’s all she has been talking about for a few weeks now at school, because she has never been there and the last time Nini saw her lola was when she was only a little kid.

(He drops her off at the airport with her moms and he doesn’t want to brag but she hugs him the longest instead of her parents. _It’s to make up for all the cuddle sesh I have to miss these next month,_ she grins at him.)

(He wants to reach and pull her away from boarding the plane but he can’t so he just hugs her tighter.)

.

His dad gets laid off from work that summer.

( _Money issues,_ his dad had said when he announced it during dinner. _A lot of people got laid off as well, but it’ll be fine_ _._ )

But it’s not fine. Not when after dinner his mom tells Ricky to go to bed early despite it being only 8, not when he can hear his mom shouting and cussing at his dad downstairs when he’s getting ready for bed, not when he can hear his dad’s frustrated groan and the dangling of the keys before slamming the door, and definitely not when he can hear the sound of the car being turned on and speeding out of the house.

(Ricky doesn’t fall asleep at all that night.)

.

Ricky hates the sixth grade because the middle school system sucks and he never gets to see Nini anymore now that they have different schedules and _god, he wishes he’s back at elementary again_.

Nini gets a new friend, or so Ricky thinks. Her name is Ashlyn, and she also loves musicals the way Nini does and they both spend too much times at the theatre instead of at the cafeteria or the hallways and everytime Ricky calls Nini’s her mom picks it up instead of her because she’s out playing and everytime his heart squeezes because he misses his best friend.

(He gets a new friend too and now instead of going over to Nini’s after school he spends his day playing video games with his new friend or learning how to skate.)

.

They don’t really talk that entire semester.

(They say hi to each other during study halls and period change but he’ll be with Red and she’ll be with Ashlyn and Ricky’s coming to terms with that.)

.

The only good thing to come out of sixth grade is that he doesn’t hear his parents fight as much as before.

(It’s because his dad’s sleeping on the couch at night and his mom never comes home for dinner so Ricky and his dad end up eating different takeouts every night with the TV on to keep the silence from coming.)

.

He passes her house every day when he’s going home, but he’s a scaredy cat so he tightens his hold on his backpack to keep himself from knocking on her door and speeds down the street faster on his skateboard.

(She’s probably out with her friends anyway)

.

It’s Christmas and his dad just announces that he’s finally gotten a job and everyone should be happy but instead his parents are yelling at each other calling each other useless and Ricky’s hands are shaking because _oh god, he can’t take it anymore and he just needs to go somewhere he can feel at home or someone he can talk to about this_ but the only person in his mind he can think of is _Nini._

(It’s Christmas and it’s snowing really hard outside but he really doesn’t care because anywhere is better than here.)

He’s outside her door in minutes and he’s knocking really hard in seconds and suddenly Nini’s in front of him and he feels like he can’t breathe so if he tries to open his mouth no sound comes out of it. “Ricky? Are you okay? Ricky, look at me, please.”

(Her worried eyes catch his immediately and he’s able to let out an answer, but his mind is still elsewhere and he hates it he hates looking like this in front of Nini but he knows she’ll understand anyway.)

“Do you want to stay and tell me what’s wrong?” Nini asks again slowly, her eyes never leaving his and her hands slowly reaching out to hold his freezing ones.

(Her hands are warm and they bring his mind back and he suddenly remembers that it’s _Christmas_ and Nini was probably eating dinner before he interrupts her, and oh god)

“I don’t want to be a bother,” he mumbles to her. “I’m sorry, I’ll just leave-“

“Ricky,” Nini interrupts again, squeezing both his hands tightly. “Please stay, it’s okay.You can stay the night if you’d like.”   
  


When he finally nods, Nini lets go of one of his hand and pulls him in to the too familiar hallways of her house. He ignores the painful tug in his stomach when he gets greeted by her moms and lets himself relax when Nini pulls him down to the couch.

He tells her he’s sorry for bursting into her house so sudden and then suddenly all the words he’s been keeping to himself spills out. He tells her about his parents fighting and how it’s gotten uglier ever since he’s in 6th grade, and how his dad had lost his job and how his mom is never home and he thinks there are tears coming out of his eyes but Nini doesn’t judge and lets him cry anyway. “I know you must hate me but when they start fighting tonight the only person I feel like I can talk to this about is you, and I missed you so much and _god,_ I’m sorry Nini,” his voice cracks.

(He gets pulled into a hug. He feels like crying again.)

“I could never hate you, Ricky,” Nini mumbles into his shoulder. “I’m sorry about your parents, I wish I could’ve asked you sooner.” He mumbles an _it’s okay_ back.

(Nini’s mom interrupts their small moment to tell them that dinner is almost ready so they pull away while laughing at each other for being _saps_ but that night after dinner and they’re both watching Home Alone on the couch she moves closer to him and whispers that _I miss you too, Ricky. Now stop hogging the blanket. I’m cold_ , and lets Ricky wrap her up in his arms for the rest of the movie.)

(Later on the week they both get each other gift to make up for Christmas because they’re _best friends_ again and he’s hanging out in her place again like elementary. Ricky has never been happier. )

.

Seventh grade is the _worst_ because suddenly everyone has a girlfriend or a boyfriend they like, and Ninitells him after school that she got asked out by a boy named Robbie from the eighth grade and that _we’re going on a date_ , _Ricky!_ And he smiles really big for her even though he doesn’t feel like smiling because if Nini’s happy then he’s happy and that’s all that matters.

(Robbie breaks up with Nini two weeks later a few hours before their movie date because eight graders are also _the worst_ so instead of punching Robbie like he wants to, he rides his skateboard to Nini’s house with a tube of mint chocolate chip ice cream and the newest season of Brooklyn Nine Nine on DVD.)

.

They’re each other’s first kisses and even though it isn’t as romantic as the movies he had watched with Nini, Ricky couldn’t have imagined it any other way.

The two of them were getting ice cream in the city because Nini had been craving some the past week and they both were arguing about what flavour of ice cream is the best and he was in the middle of telling Nini how mint chocolate chip is the _best flavour of all time, Nini! How can you think plain old caramel is better anyway?_ He feels a pair of lips shutting him up.

“I’m sorry, Ricky,” she said giggling. “It’s just you looked so cute when you were rambling and I don’t know-“ He cut her off with a kiss, and tried to bite back the smile that was slowly but surely creeping towards his face when he pulled away. It seemed fair that way to him.

“Kissing me isn’t going to make me admit caramel is better than mint chocolate chip, Nini Panini,” he had told her then, poking her dimples when she scrunched her nose at him.

(He wanted to ask her a lot of questions, and he wanted to kiss her smile again just like before because her lips was so soft and he wanted to hear her giggle again when he pulls away just like last time because she has the softest giggle in the world and _oh god_ he likes her so much)

.

He asks her to prom, because there’s no one else he would rather dance with inside the sweaty and hot gymnasium in his mind than her, and so he asks her casually when they’re fighting over the last dumpling that he had brought to her house after school.

(She wins the dumpling but then tells him yes with the biggest smile she could muster with a mouth full of dumpling so really, he’s the one who wins.)

.

His parents split during the sophomore year, but Ricky is surprisingly okay with that because even though he hates it he wants them to be happy as well.

(He stays in Salt Lake with his dad, and with Nini’s help he packs his mom’s things and sent it to New York where she’s moving. He tries not to cry because it makes him look weak but Nini tells him he’s allowed to be sad so he cries into her shoulder while she runs her fingers through his hair to calm him down.)

.

Nini drags him to sign up for a musical in junior year because no matter how much he argues he’s not that talented, his best friend still thinks he is. The musical the school is doing this year is _High School Musical_ which is Nini's favorite Disney movie (He knows this because he watched the whole series with her in one sitting last summer), and it doesn’t really surpise him when she gets casted as Gabriella.

(He gets casted as Troy, which he tells Nini with a grumble but Nini just punches him in the shoulder lightly because she knows he’s happy about that and not at all upset.)

He buys her the biggest bouquet he can afford on opening night because she deserves the best and he comes 2 hours early so he can put it in the dressing room on her desk without anyone knowing. They don’t see each other until the first scene where they’re going to sing Start of Something New, but she calls him just before he steps into the stage.

“Hey Ricky?”

“Yeah, Nini Panini?”

“For good luck,” she simply states, and before he can ask what did she mean she goes on her tip toes and kisses him on the lips.

(If his face is red during the entire first scene, he hopes no one in the crowd notices.)

.

Nini gets an early scholarship to fucking _Juilliard_ during senior year and Ricky’s not a tad bit surprised because he has known for almost all his life that she’s that crazy talented and he tells her when her whole family takes them out for her celebration dinner that she deserves every bit of it and she kind of tears up in the middle of the restaurant because she _has the best best friend in the entire world._

(He applies for Columbia and NYU that month. Columbia is 13 minutes away from Juilliard and NYU is 15 minutes away from Juilliard. Yes, he checked already.)

.

He asks her out officially a day before graduation.

(It’s not because he’s scared he’s going to lose her in college because they’re only 15 minutes away from each other (Yes he got accepted into NYU. It’s not a big deal. _Okay, Nini, I know it’s a big deal!)_ and they’re already planning on renting a small flat in New York with Red and Ashlyn starting from July even though they’re both broke but they’re two dumb kids and he’s so whipped for her he’d say yes to everything)

“Took you long enough,” she grins into his mouth that night in her room (because her parents no longer give him a crap if he’s there because he’s there _24/7_ it’s kind of embarrassing.)

“Well is that a yes or a no?” he pretends to be dumb.

“Yes, of course you dumbass,” she sighs exasperatedly and he grins at her big before leaning in for another kiss.

(He’s pretty sure if Nini’s parents know what they’re doing in the room he’d be kicked out of the house. He’s glad they don’t.)

.

His dad gets two tickets to Disneyland so he takes her there for their first official date because he wants to make Nini happy in the happiest place on earth.

(Nini tells him it’s cheesy and it’s such a big grand gesture for a first date but she has the cutest red dress on and the cutest minnie mouse ears on her head and the cutest smile on her face when she says this, and insists on getting a picture taken in front of the castle with her kissing him and oh god, she’s so so so beautiful and gorgeous and mesmerizing he must’ve taken so many pictures of her during their entire trip _)_

(He tells her she’s the cheesy one and she pukes on his sneakers after riding Space Mountain. He hates how he’s not even upset about the whole incident.)

.

College is tough and they barely see each other even though they live in the same flat but they make it through anyway.

(He makes time to come to all her recitals even though he probably has exams on the next day and he even wears a whole _suit_ to them and sits on the best seat in the theatre and claps the hardest when she finishes and she’ll stay up with him while he studies and makes him his favorite type of coffee in the morning before he goes to campus and it’s just so domestic Red and Ashlyn thinks they probably got married already.)

.

When he’s 20 he realizes he’s in love with the girl sleeping next to him on the super tiny couch in their small flat whose hair is messy and is drooling on his shoulder with her arms arounds his body tightly but she still looks beautiful anyway.

(She’s wearing his NYU hoodie so the hoodie looks like its eating her up because how tiny she is and all Ricky wants to do is scoop her up in his arms and never let go. God, he’s in love with her and he probably has been since the first day they met because she captivates him everyday ever since that day on the kindergarten and _oh god_ he loves her so much his heart wants to burst.)

\- _fin_

**Author's Note:**

> hi, yes congrats you finished the whole fic i hope you enjoyed it! pls comment and give me validation (kidding, but i'll love you forever if you do <3)
> 
> (kinda wanna do a spin off of the flatshare thing and the sharing clothes thing because they're also my favorite tropes)


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